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Right-wing journalist Ann Coulter cancels appearance at Berkeley, sparks debate similar to Milo Yiannopoulos at Berkeley and Davis

Conservative journalist Ann Coulter was invited to speak at UC Berkeley on April 27. However, after her event was cancelled, rescheduled and cancelled again, Coulters lack of presence re-sparked several debates surrounding free speech.

Coulter was invited by the Berkeley College Republicans, the same group who invited former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos to speak on Berkeleys campus in February. Yiannopoulus presence was met with an intense show of violence by groups like the Black Blocs that left Sproul Plaza partly aflame. Coulters visit to Berkeley was expected to end similarly.

Amidst threats of violence against the university to prevent Coulter from speaking, Berkeley proceeded to cancel the event, but was admonished for infringing upon Coulter and her supporters free speech.

Coulter was rescheduled to speak again on May 2, but insisted upon speaking on the original date of April 27. She explained that she was concerned about audience turnout during a period so close to final exams, and she even threatened legal action if she was not allowed to speak on the original scheduled date.

A lawsuit was filed on April 24, centered around Coulters concerns about her right to speak freely.

This case arises from efforts by one of Californias leading public universities, the suit stated, UC Berkeley once known as the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement to restrict and stifle the speech of conservative students whose voices fall beyond the campus political orthodoxy.

The lawsuit utilized the example of Milo Yiannopoulus appearance in February in the attempt to cite previous infringements UC Berkeley has made on guest speakers. Yiannopouloss event was cancelled due to the same violence that threatened Coulters.

In response, UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks released a statement affirming Berkeleys dedication to both free speech and the safety of its students. Coulters appearance had sparked enough discourse in their community that the goals of her appearance had become questionable.

Sadly and unfortunately, concern for student safety seems to be in short supply in certain quarters, Dirks said in the statement. We believe that once law enforcement professionals determine there are security risks attendant to a particular event, speakers need to focus on what they actually want to achieve.

UC Berkeley administration insisted upon the cancellation of the event after declaring that the venue to hold Coulter was inadequately secure and no other venues were available. Not soon after, conservative groups backing Coulter such as BridgeUSA and Young Americas Foundation pulled their support from the event.

Im so sorry Berkeley cancelled my speech, Coulter tweeted. And Im so sorry for free speech crushed by thugs.

In the wake of the events final cancellation, a free speech rally was organized the day following what was supposed to be Coulters appearance. Supporters of Coulter appeared across Berkeleys campus and at nearby parks, amidst a high concentration of police forces expecting violence to explode at any moment.

Coulter commented in an email to The Associated Press that she might swing by to say hello, which helped to fuel tensions

Im not speaking. But Im going to be near there, Coulter said in the comment. I thought I might stroll around the graveyard of the First Amendment.

Amid heavy police presence the planned free speech rally yielded both discussion and violence. Several protesters were arrested for assault and for refusing to remove masks. Students and groups of peaceful protesters gathered to talk to their opposition, calling for discourse, not force.

Despite the changing narrative surrounding Berkeley and Coulter, and the even more evolving story around the idea of free speech, UC Berkeley remains adamant about protecting their students and their students rights.

This university has two non-negotiable commitments, one to free speech, the other to the safety of our campus community members, their guests, and the public, Dirks wrote. This is a university, not a battlefield.

Written by: Caitlyn Sampley city@theaggie.org

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Ann Coulter event at UC Berkeley mimics Milo Yiannopoulos | The ... - The Aggie

Countries such as Bulgaria and Poland are claiming big western European landowners and supermarkets are pricing out their own farmers and shopkeepers.

And many of the worst-hit states have rolled out a series of complex new laws to protect their farms and ensure their agricultural industry can survive and thrive.

The new rules have sparked fears the former Communist countries could force an end to the single market, leaving Brussels to strike back with a series of legal challenges.

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In Bulgaria, the European Commission launched an infringement proceeding last year after the country passed a law declaring investors should be resident for more than five years before they can buy farmland.

While in Romania, Brussels recently objected to rules demanding supermarkets source at least 51 per cent of their produce from local suppliers.

But while these cases remain undecided, it is in Poland that the battle against the European Union is being fought the most fiercely.

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There is definitely a push [to undermine the single market], but I dont consider it unjustified.

Attila Szocs, a campaigner at Eco Ruralis

The EU has already ordered authorities to halt a tax which it claims grants a selective advantage to local shops with a low turnover over big foreign-owned supermarkets.

And the country continues to impose laws which, along with other tough criteria, effectively mean anyone hoping to buy land in Poland must have been resident for a decade.

Attila Szocs, a campaigner at Eco Ruralis, a rural campaign group in Romania, said: There is definitely a push [to undermine the single market], but I dont consider it unjustified.

Europe is facing a land rush, where multinational companies and hedge funds are heavily investing in land either for purely industrial or speculative purposes, making this resource less and less accessible for young farmers.

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It is easy to see why the former Soviet bloc is seeing such a land rush, however.

The average price of agricultural land in Poland, which is still not the cheapest destination in eastern Europe, was 9,481 per hectare in 2016.

But in contrast, prices in the Netherlands averaged 59,115 per hectare in March this year, according to official government figures.

Mr Szocs added: There is a great political push to keep the status quo and not permit new investors."

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And he said: The government is using strong nationalistic rhetoric banning land sales towards foreigners.

And the European Commission seems to view this new legislation as an existential threat to the EUs free flow of goods, people and capital.

Referring to the infringement procedures, a Commission spokesperson said: The Commissions services are considering the next steps to take.

At the same time, we are supporting member states to exchange best practices and to find solutions that comply with EU law.

Read more:
'It's destroying our country!' Eastern European nations turn back on EU's Single Market - Express.co.uk

Emmanuel Macron is calling for concentrating more power in the hands of Brussels, that is, in the hands of the European Commission. This is despite the fact that Britain is leaving the European Union because of popular rebellion against violations of national sovereignty by Brussels. One cannot have ever more economic and administrative integration on the EU level as long as the primary loyalty of most EU citizens is to their nation and not to the European Union. The linemillions are willing to die for their country, but no one is willing to die of the EUsays it all.

I am not denying that it would be better if Poles and the French, Greeks, Finns and Hungarians would all wake up tomorrow and see each other as brothers and sisters, or at least as dedicated citizens of a United States of Europe. However, this is not happening. On the contrary, EU overreach is alienating more and more Europeans. The EU did well when it stuck to opening borders to trade, a move that benefited all (albeit not equally). It was well tolerated when it arranged for numerous low-key forms of administrative coordination among the nations, for student and scholar exchanges, and set minimum standards all industries and commerce had to adhere to. However, once it introduced a shared currency, affected the budgets of its member nations, opened the borders to the free movement of labor, and pushed for the absorption of a large number of immigrantsit intruded on national identities and the particular values of the various member nations.

As a result, the EU is now trying to stand between two steps. It seeks an ever-higher level of economic and administrative integration. Macron calls for introducing a banking union and for an integrated budget to be formulated by the EU, which all member nations will be required to follow domestically. An EU finance minister will oversee the budget. At the same time the EU is maintaining a low level of political integration, while a higher level is needed if people are to be willing to make the kind of sacrifices for each other and changes in their national policies a much thicker unified EU policy requires. In other words, true community building is severely lagging behind economic and administrative integration. The EU now must either move upby integrating more politicallyor scale back its economic and administrative integration. Regrettably, there are many indications that it will be forced to scale back rather than move up. Nations are restoring border controls, ignoring instructions from Brussels, and public-opinion polls show that increasing majorities are seeking less integration, not more. (They love Europe, but not the EU.) In this situation, to call for more economic integration reflects the kind of thinking a banker, which Macron is, would indulge in, one who missed his Sociology 101 class.

So lets celebrate Macron for saving France from Le Pen and, if you wish, admire his marriage to his sixty-four-year-old wife. For all I care, he may even be able to walk on water, as one of his campaign ads implied. But do not call him a savior of the EU. He is pushing it to the brinkto which it is already dangerously close.

Amitai Etzioni is a University Professor and Professor of International Relations at The George Washington University. For additional discussion of the EU, see his 2016 book Foreign Policy: Thinking Outside the Box.

Image: Celebration of Emmanuel Macrons victory at the Louvre. Flickr/Creative Commons/Lorie Shaull

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How Macron Could Destroy the European Union - The National Interest Online

Madrid has proposed deeper integration of the 19 countries using the euro, implementing euro bonds, an anti-crisis budget and a common unemployment insurance scheme.

Mr Macron has also spoken out about the need for the European Union to change as he wants a tougher bloc on trade and foreign investment, claiming the euro will fail in 10 years without reform.

Spain is now asking for a real economic government claiming the euro is an unfinished project.

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Its clear that we need to improve the governance of the eurozone

Spains foreign minister, Alfonso Dastis

The countrys government has slammed the euro claiming Europes recent recession revealed critical errors in the design of the currency.

Madrid also said Brussels came up with solutions for only short-term needs.

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Spains economy ministry blamed the eurozone for high unemployment rates in countries most affected by the crisis.

Spains foreign minister, Alfonso Dastis, said: Its clear that we need to improve the governance of the eurozone.

The banking union will be the key test.

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Spain has proposed a common budget for the eurozone, a shared anti-crisis budget, unemployment insurance, a treasury, euro-bonds and a banking union.

In a report sent to Brussels, it says: The shortcomings in the euros architecture explains the differential impact of the last crisis.

The euro does not just need firefighters, it also needs architects.

The European project can only endure if its citizens see that it provides sustainable and inclusive prosperity levels.

Spain has also requested more democratic control over institutions such as the Eurogroup.

The European Commission is set to release its own report on the future of the euro at the end of this month along with reflection papers debating ideas for Europe in 2025.

Mr Rajoy has recently visited China to discuss trade links with the Asian superpower.

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Now Spain demands major EU reforms as it rages at eurozone for causing 'huge unemployment' - Express.co.uk

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Pesticide Regulation In The European Union: The Worst Has Become The Norm - Forbes